Friends

Keeping your phone charged is a pretty important task. After all, these days our smartphones are practically our lifeline to the rest of the world. Most people can’t be without theirs for more than an hour, without worrying that they’re missing important messages, emails, or calls. So what do you do when you’re in a situation where the power is out, or you simply don’t have access to an outlet? Well, sometimes you have to make your own power.

This BoostTurbine 4000 is a backup battery pack that does more than simply holds some juice for your phone. It incorporates a hand crank that will allow you to recharge the battery without needing to plug it into the wall. So how much power does the cranking get you? The company says that one minute of cranking will net you enough for a four-minute call, and a few texts, though it does depend on how much power your phone uses.

This BoostTurbine 4000 has a large enough battery to charge most smartphones two times over. And if cranking it by hand isn’t necessary, you aren’t limited to that. You can still charge it up by plugging it into a USB port on your PC, or into a wall adapter. You can have one of your own for just $80.